In the competition for attention and connection, your messaging is one of the most powerful marketing strategies your nonprofit has, but is frequently left half-done or overlooked altogether.

I’d like to help you with that via a straightforward swap: you give me your attention for five minutes, and I’ll share my expertise on a key path to “getting attention.”

Here’s what I propose:

You take five minutes of your time to tell me about your organization’s messaging—the who, what and how; what’s working well; and what’s getting in the way, etc.— via this online survey (deadline June 13).

In return for your time, I’ll invite you to join me for a no-charge, limited-enrollment webinar later this summer:How to Tell Your 5-Star Stories. You’ll learn how to:

Find the great stories in your organization

Shape characters your supporters will connect with

Structure your stories with three proven plots.

As for the survey, I’ll assess responses later this month and compare them to an earlier 2009 survey on the topic, then shape findings into practical message development guidelines.